


You'll Never Walk Alone

by Hidarkidarian



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Ancient Rome Spoilers, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Music, al-tahan family bonding, there's a lot of sad in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:00:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24104824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hidarkidarian/pseuds/Hidarkidarian
Summary: Music means a lot to the al-Tahan family
Comments: 14
Kudos: 24





	You'll Never Walk Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the musical Carousel  
> This song was also on Bryn's Hamid playlist.
> 
> I don't think there is anything in this fic that needs CWs, but please let me know if you see anything.

_When you walk through a storm hold your head up high_

Lightning flashes outside the twins’ room, as Ismail and Ishak huddle together, their faces wet with tears. Thunder cracks, and the boys shriek in terror. Moments later, their door swings open and light pours into the room as their older sisters rush in. Saira throws her arm around Ishak as Aziza cuddles with Ismail. “Don’t be afraid,” Aziza says as she strokes her little brother’s head. “The lightning can’t hurt you here.”

“B-but Saleh said that lightning was the gods’ way of punishing those who don’t worship them.” Ismail cries. “ _And we don’t worship any of them.”_

Saira’s eyes blaze with fire. “Saleh was just trying to get you upset,” She scoots Ishak into her lap. “You know he likes to rile you up.”

Lightning once again lights up the room, followed soon after by the loud crack of thunder. The door creaks open slowly to reveal Hamid’s worried face. “Is everyone all right in here?” the young boy asks.

Aziza smiles at him. “Come in, Hamid. We are all huddling together to allay fear.” She tickles Ismail, who falls over in laughter. “If we are together, we can survive anything. Oh, let me teach you a song about some of my favorite things…”

_And don't be afraid of the dark._

“Hey Saira! Do you want to play with me and Ishak?” Ismail yells to his sister as she gathers her items.

“I can’t, dear. I have work.”

“But you always work,” the young boy whines.

“That’s because I’m an adult.”

“What if we do a song tonight? We haven’t sang together since ‘Ziza left.”

“Ismail, this isn’t a joke. I’m not a child anymore. I can’t spend my time playing with you. Grow up.” Saira slams the door behind her.

Ismail smears his face with his shirtsleeve, attempting to hide the tears. His twin wraps his arms around him. “Don’t worry. Just because ‘Ziza and Hamid are gone doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. Let’s make up some songs. I have this idea about me singing part and you have to sing something back. We can make it a game!”

_At the end of a storm is a golden sky_

_And the sweet silver song of a lark._

They can do _magic._ Ismail and Ishak shoot multicolored lights around the room, singing back and forth as they do so. One of their favorites. A combative song, with Ishak shooting out the first line and Ismail picking up the second, trading the lines back and forth as they spin the lights around the room. Lights and words and _magic._ It all feels so natural, like magic should have been there all along. 

_Walk on through the wind,_

_Walk on through the rain,_

_Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown._

Aziza is gone.

Ishak is gone. 

Hamid is gone.

Father and Saleh are locked up. Mother is… not available. And Saira is busy.

Ismail finds himself alone. Again. His eyes brim with tears as he walks through their family home, once so live with people and music and _magic._ And he is alone.

He peeks into Saira’s office, where she sits with her head in her hands, dried tears on her face. Ismail doesn’t bother her. He is just glad she is there. Maybe he’s not completely alone.

_Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart_

_And you'll never walk alone,_

Three months after his twin’s disappearance, Ismail makes a mistake. He sings out the first part to their song. He waits for a response that never comes. A dam breaks, tears flooding down his face for the first time in months. Saira hears him from her office, and runs out to see what is wrong. He wails as he runs, passing her office and slamming the door to his room. 

Saira knocks on his door, only to be met with wails of agony. She tries to open the door, to find the handle locked. Her own eyes brim with tears as she thinks about just how much they have lost. Their family is broken. She turns her back to the door and leans against it, sliding down into a crouching position as she leans against the door.

After a few hours, Saira begins to sing the first verse of Aziza’s favorite song, her low alto whistling out in the silence, begging for the soprano tone to join her. As she reaches the chorus, she hears Ismail’s soft, breaking tenor join her own voice, and together they sing of those whom they have lost as the missing voices are somehow larger than their own.

_You'll never walk alone._

**Author's Note:**

> I blame Crimes for asking the RSB "Hey do you think during the 18-month gap, Saira sings to Ismail? Do you think they sing together songs that Aziza used to sing?"
> 
> Also I never write in this tense so we'll see if it's legible.


End file.
